Luke 1:26-56, 2:1-52

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,
27to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgins name was Mary.
28And he came to her and said, Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.*29But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
30The angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God.
31And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.
32He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.
33He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.
34Mary said to the angel, How can this be, since I am a virgin?*35The angel said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born* will be holy; he will be called Son of God.
36And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren.
37For nothing will be impossible with God.
38Then Mary said, Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word. Then the angel departed from her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country,
40where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
41When Elizabeth heard Marys greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit
42and exclaimed with a loud cry, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
43And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?
44For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy.
45And blessed is she who believed that there would be* a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.

Marys Song of Praise

46 And Mary* said,My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
48 for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
50 His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.

56 And Mary remained with her for about three months and then returned to her home.

The Birth of Jesus

2In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered.
2This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.
3All went to their own towns to be registered.
4Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David.
5He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.
6While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.
7And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
10But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid; for seeI am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:
11to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah,* the Lord.
12This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.
13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host,* praising God and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!*

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.
16So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.
17When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child;
18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them.
19But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.
20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Jesus Is Named

21 After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Jesus Is Presented in the Temple

22 When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
23(as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord),
24and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon;* this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him.
26It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lords Messiah.*27Guided by the Spirit, Simeon* came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law,
28Simeon* took him in his arms and praised God, saying,
29 Master, now you are dismissing your servant* in peace, according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.

33 And the childs father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him.
34Then Simeon* blessed them and said to his mother Mary, This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed
35so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealedand a sword will pierce your own soul too.

36 There was also a prophet, Anna* the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage,
37then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day.
38At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child* to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

The Return to Nazareth

39 When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
40The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him.

The Boy Jesus in the Temple

41 Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover.
42And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival.
43When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it.
44Assuming that he was in the group of travellers, they went a days journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends.
45When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him.
46After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
47And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.
48When his parents* saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.
49He said to them, Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Fathers house?*50But they did not understand what he said to them.
51Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years,* and in divine and human favour.